First-Time Cruiser - When to Board!?

[iloveislands24]

Hello! My husband and I are taking our first ever cruise April 7-14 on Norwegian Gem, going to Florida and the Bahamas. We are so excited! I noticed that check-in is already available, and I was wondering when I should complete this. It seems the advantage to doing it sooner than later would be getting our preferred arrival time.

 

What arrival time is best? Right now the options are between 10:00 and 1:30. DH and I will be staying in NYC the night before, in a hotel 5 minutes away from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. So we could choose any of these times. What would you experienced cruisers recommend? Advantages to choosing an earlier time, versus a later time?

 

Also - what exactly does arrival time mean? Is that the exact time we should walk into the cruise terminal to begin the check-in and boarding process? Or is this the time we are expected to board the ship, and therefore we need to get to the cruise terminal earlier? How long does the cruise terminal check-in and ship boarding process typically take?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!! :D:D

[mpk218]

Pick any time you wish and then arrive any time you wish . Boarding usually starts around 11;30 . The times are more of a request than a rule.. You will not be asked what your time is . ever ;)

[LrgPizza]

I'd rather spend more time on the ship as opposed to less time on the ship, so I always try to board as early as possible. If for some reason you don't want to be on the ship, then board later. It's up to you.

[casofilia]

Complete check-in as soon as possible. Print off your documents and then turn up as soon as you want to. You are paying for the first day so make sure you make the most of it.

[GWM907]

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising. You will soon be hooked like the rest of us. You chose a great ship to start with. I have sailed her a few times and of the 35-40 cruises I have taken she is one of my favorites.

As far as the check in is concerned you can do that whenever you like. Although you pick an arrival time you can actually arrive whenever you want. You will not have to wait for your chosen arrival time to check in at the terminal. There will be cruisers there as early as 8:30 am. They will probably start the check in process around 9 or 9:30. It gets fairly crowded by 10 or so. There are a lot of agents so while you may have to wait in line for as much as a half an hour or so (I've never waited longer than that especially for the Gem) the check in process is fairly quick. Be sure to print out your e docs and have them available.

Boarding normally begins at 11:30-12:00. At the time you check in the agent will give you a number and that is your boarding group. The higher the number the later you board but in any case the process moves pretty quickly once it begins. So the earlier

you arrive at the terminal the earlier in the process you will board (I am assuming you are in a standard cabin and not the Haven).

Once on board you will be able to have lunch. I believe the dining room will be open but for sure you can go to O'Sheehans or the Buffet. Cabins will not typically be available until 1 or 1:30. An announcement will be made to let you know. Most importantly once you step on to the ship you are officially on vacation. Grab a seat at the bar have a drink and relax. ENJOY!!!

[don't-use-real-name]

First Off -

Have you completed your ON-LINE Check in to have your E-Docs for Registration at the NYC Cruise Terminal ?

On-Line check in - you fill out the usual name address phone number Passport info emergency contact and I

think there is a prompt for when you plan to arrive at the cruise terminal.

If NCL suggests a time for your arrival and check-in - you can do that or just simply show up and check-in.

It is not an absolutely positively must do - check in - you may wait for awhile and you may go right on board

depends on the volume of guests arriving and checking in at any given moment.

 

Your ship normally arrives around 8am and needs the in-coming guests to leave the ship and cleaning

commenced - re-supply the food provisions - figure about 2 or more hours to do this - then the stage is

set for boarding of the out-going quests - guests with priority (suites) and those with handicap issues

board first followed by various levels of NCL affinity status i.e. Platinum Gold Silver.

OK this starts anywhere around 11am or after.

 

With NCL crowd pleasing control - go with the flow !

 

While I was writing this other CC members have added more input.

 

Of note if the ship sails say i.e. 5pm you must be on board at least a couple of hours early - not exactly

2 hours but that is what the paper docs say. So don't cut it too close - come on board early - check the

ship out - have lunch - get ready for your cruise big time - live it up !

 

One thing of importance before the ship sets sail there is this thing called a "Muster Drill" - happens about

a half hour before sailing (MANDATORY ATTENDANCE REQUIRED) NCL wants to acquaint you with

the unlikely emergency evacuation procedures.

[roger001]

I've never cruised out of NYC. However, our rule of thumb at all the other ports is similar to previous advise. We like to be at the terminal by 10:30. Check in has usually just begun and the lines are not yet very long. Check in usually goes quickly. After entering the terminal, you will go through a quick security check. It is much more relaxed and quicker than airline. Then you will be directed to one of the many agents at the check in counter. There you will provide you credit card, have your picture taken, and your room key/card will be given you. You will probably have been given a boarding group number also. Boarding usually begins by 11:30. In the mean time, you can just sit and people watch and get excited. When the ship is cleared for boarding, groups will be called by assigned priority and then the group numbers will be called. I goes quickly. You walk up the gangway onto the deck, security will scan your card, and see all the smiling faces. For us, we just then go up to the pool deck, deck 12, have a bit of food, adult beverage, and people watch until the room open usually around 1:30 or so. Or you can just wander around the ship and explore, go to the main dining room for a sit down lunch, or go feast off the buffet. Vacation has begun! Hope you have a wonderful time and enjoy cruising as much as we do!

[Cuervosar]

Hello! My husband and I are taking our first ever cruise April 7-14 on Norwegian Gem, going to Florida and the Bahamas. We are so excited! I noticed that check-in is already available, and I was wondering when I should complete this. It seems the advantage to doing it sooner than later would be getting our preferred arrival time.

 

What arrival time is best? Right now the options are between 10:00 and 1:30. DH and I will be staying in NYC the night before, in a hotel 5 minutes away from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. So we could choose any of these times. What would you experienced cruisers recommend? Advantages to choosing an earlier time, versus a later time?

 

Also - what exactly does arrival time mean? Is that the exact time we should walk into the cruise terminal to begin the check-in and boarding process? Or is this the time we are expected to board the ship, and therefore we need to get to the cruise terminal earlier? How long does the cruise terminal check-in and ship boarding process typically take?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

 

I'll give what will probably be contrary advice. Board later in the process rather than earlier.

 

So many people are so excited to get on the ship that from around 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, the whole process is a zoo. Generally, the ship isn't leaving until 5:00 pm. If you wait to board around 2:00 pm you are likely to find no lines and much less chaos throughout the process.

 

One caveat, take a look through your documentation to find the latest time you must be on board and plan accordingly. But honestly, early boarding tends to be an exercise in queuing and waiting a bit goes much, much smoother.

[tinawhitecar]

Since it's your first time cruising, you will be excited to get on as early as possible (understandably)

but

I take a different approach. We tend to enjoy the port city in the morning pre- cruise- ( Breakfast, little exploring ) then head to the port around 1- 2pmish. The benefit is the bulk of the crowd is gone.

Last cruise it took us 7 minutes from entering the Cruise Ship Terminal to board the ship.

[tobyt]

Reminder to pack items you want/need for boarding day in you carryon. Think bathing suits, meds, books, camera anything you want want immediately since your luggage will not arrive for some time. I like to board and hit the pool and/ or hot tub it makes me feel all vacation mode!

[tef43]

The times are more of a request than a rule.. You will not be asked what your time is . ever ;)

Incorrect, depending on the port. Certain ports adhere to the Arrival Time religiously. Arrive too early and you will find yourself outside of the terminal ... standing and waiting.

[NMLady]

Incorrect, depending on the port. Certain ports adhere to the Arrival Time religiously. Arrive too early and you will find yourself outside of the terminal ... standing and waiting.

 

Which port(s)?? Never heard of such a thing with NCL.

[casofilia]

I agree which ports? I know it has occurred with other lines but have never come across it with NCL.

[alsgirl]

welcome to the cruising world !!! I am also on this cruise and cant wait. This will be my 12th time on the Gem, she is my favorite ship of the fleet. I usually like to get there a little towards the later side because of the craziness at the port around 10am. Keep in mind this cruise leaves at 3pm so your paperwork will say board by 1pm. I would plan on getting to the port about 12:30 and you should breeze right through.

 

Have a blast !!! See you on board

[iloveislands24]

Thanks everyone for the detailed replies! So it sounds like we should either go early (by 10:30 or so) and enjoy the ship longer, or go later (12:30 or so) and skip the line, but have a bit less time on the ship. I talked to my husband and I think we are leaning towards going earlier, since it's our first cruise and I want to make sure everything is taken care of.

 

The only issue is that my husband is waiting to receive his passport, and in order to complete boarding we need his passport number. We should be getting that in a couple weeks - as soon as we get it, I will complete the online check-in.

 

Thanks again, everyone!

[iloveislands24]

welcome to the cruising world !!! I am also on this cruise and cant wait. This will be my 12th time on the Gem, she is my favorite ship of the fleet. I usually like to get there a little towards the later side because of the craziness at the port around 10am. Keep in mind this cruise leaves at 3pm so your paperwork will say board by 1pm. I would plan on getting to the port about 12:30 and you should breeze right through.

 

Have a blast !!! See you on board

 

Oh nice, that's awesome! Glad to hear you like Gem so much, hopefully we will too. Yup, see you then!

[Tamereth]

For the people suggesting an earlier arrival time, is it a pain to schlep around a carry on bag/suitcase before rooms are ready? Do you just keep your bag next to your table while you eat lunch?

[Mike D.]

Which port(s)?? Never heard of such a thing with NCL.

 

Stood "outside" in Boston. Actually in a line under an overhang but not actually inside. I think we arrived a bit before 10:00 a.m. and probably cooled our heels for 20 minutes or so. Just my recollection on time but definitely standing with little or no seating available. September 2017.

 

My other experiences haven't involved waiting outside the port.

[mib150]

We are booked on this same cruise but sail on 28th July.

As its a 'birthday' cruise for my wife, we are having a few days in NY before picking up the ship, getting excited already, even though it's months away!

On another note, when we arrive back in NY (around 8am?) our flight home isn't until early evening, has anyone had a similar trip? Just wondering what to do with our cases etc, as will probably do a little more sightseeing in NY before the flight home.

Cheers

[BirdTravels]

What arrival time is best? Right now the options are between 10:00 and 1:30. DH and I will be staying in NYC the night before, in a hotel 5 minutes away from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal. So we could choose any of these times. What would you experienced cruisers recommend? Advantages to choosing an earlier time, versus a later time?

Have a wonderful cruise! We would arrive at the port around 10:30 and get through security and check-in. General boarding will start around 11:30ish. Get on board and start your cruise! The Buffet will be open at 11:30. The main dining room will open at noon. Get onboard and enjoy your first meal almost-at-sea.

[iloveislands24]

Thanks again for all the replies. As someone new to cruising, I have a couple of other questions, if anyone would like to share thoughts on either of the below:

 

1. We aren't sure if we will go to any of the specialty restaurants or not. Guess it depends how happy we are with the complimentary options, which all look good to me! Plus we like to save money when possible. But Cagneys and La Cucina both look interesting to us. If we do go to a specialty restaurant, is pre-purchasing a meal package a "must?" What are the a la cart prices like, if we just go for one night? I noticed that the pre-purchased package of 2 meals ends up being $35 per person, per meal - would we end up spending that much or more if we just go and pay a la cart?

 

2. Being our first cruise, I'm new to the idea of a dress code on vacation. DH and I are usually pretty casual on vacation - jean shorts, t-shirts and flip flops are our go-to's. I like getting dressed up a little bit, DH not so much, so this will be an adjustment for him especially. Am I correct in saying the only time our "usual" clothing wouldn't be appropriate is for dining in the main dining room or specialty restaurants? Just want to make sure we are packing the right amount of each "type" of clothing, especially since we're doing a 7 night cruise.

 

Thanks again all!

[cmoran45]

Thanks again for all the replies. As someone new to cruising, I have a couple of other questions, if anyone would like to share thoughts on either of the below:

 

1. We aren't sure if we will go to any of the specialty restaurants or not. Guess it depends how happy we are with the complimentary options, which all look good to me! Plus we like to save money when possible. But Cagneys and La Cucina both look interesting to us. If we do go to a specialty restaurant, is pre-purchasing a meal package a "must?" What are the a la cart prices like, if we just go for one night? I noticed that the pre-purchased package of 2 meals ends up being $35 per person, per meal - would we end up spending that much or more if we just go and pay a la cart?

 

2. Being our first cruise, I'm new to the idea of a dress code on vacation. DH and I are usually pretty casual on vacation - jean shorts, t-shirts and flip flops are our go-to's. I like getting dressed up a little bit, DH not so much, so this will be an adjustment for him especially. Am I correct in saying the only time our "usual" clothing wouldn't be appropriate is for dining in the main dining room or specialty restaurants? Just want to make sure we are packing the right amount of each "type" of clothing, especially since we're doing a 7 night cruise.

 

Thanks again all!

 

My personal opinion on your questions...

1) Cagney's is absolutely worth going to at least once!! La Cucina is good, but not as good as Cagneys (again, just my personal opinion). At $35 per person/per meal, I would go ahead and pre-purchase....you can definitely EASILY go over that, so why not pre-purchase and then you won't have to worry about the prices on the menu - you can just enjoy your delicious dinner!

2) Don't worry about getting too fancy with the dress code...Norwegian is Freestyle cruising, and the dress code is pretty vacation-friendly! I think they refer to it as "resort casual".

[don't-use-real-name]

For the people suggesting an earlier arrival time, is it a pain to schlep around a carry on bag/suitcase before rooms are ready? Do you just keep your bag next to your table while you eat lunch?

 

YES it would be a pain to carry the carry on luggage with you while eating especially at the Buffet.

1 of your party secures the table (and luggage) while the rest get the food returning so that the

table luggage guard can then get food.

 

The MDR is not so much of a problem lots of room - some ships have an area set aside near the entry to

stash your luggage while eating.

 

If you board early your cabin is most certainly not going to be available to drop by and dump your luggage

some where within.

 

Boarding after 1pm there is a good chance your cabin is ready and if the passageway doors are not blocked

go ahead find you cabin and lug your luggage no more.

 

By 2pm an announcement may have been made that the cabins are ready.

 

Sailing at 5pm about half hour to an hour before there will be the mandatory muster drill.

 

Your checked luggage (at the pier off ship) should arrive at your cabin door after 2pm and as late as 8pm.

So the first night of the cruise pay no mind to any kind of dress code freestyle or otherwise.

[Something fun!]

I would try to arrive around 10:30. It will be overwhelming, yet super exciting, as it feels similar to departing from an airport, yet different in a number of ways. For instance, the port agents will whisk your "checked" luggage away before you fully comprehend you are at the dock. Be sure that you have your passports and credit card on your body and not in your checked suitcase.

 

After you go through check-in, which will take longer for virgin cruisers, you shouldn't have to wait too long to board around 12:00. Now you can tour the spa if you wish and/or I would suggest eating lunch in the main dining room. You can order as much or as little as you wish...unlimited apps, starters, entrees and desserts. You can relax with your carryons as you are served a nice leisurely lunch. You can even try the UBP with a glass if wine to start. Afterwards your room should be about ready.

 

The Muster drill will be 2 hrs before sailaway. Bars will temporarily close as the entire ship organizes a lifeboat safety informational. After that head to the pool deck for sailaway fun!

 

Personally, I would just go with the complimentary dining options for your first cruise. You will have an endless amount of food to try that you already paid for. Then you will have something else that will be new when you take your next cruise.

 

Also, you can wear almost anything you want anytime. Packing a variety of clothes and some extra clothes for the evenings is a good idea bc you will probably be feeling hot and sweaty later in the day. No need to dress up unless you enjoy it, however it is nice to have the pros take your pics looking fancy one night. Your DH is like a lot of NCL fans. All he needs is a pair of jeans and closed toe shoes (i.e. not sandals) if you want to eat dinner in the aft MDR or Le Bistro (specialty) restaurants.

[lah67]

Which port(s)?? Never heard of such a thing with NCL.

 

Happened to us for our Jewel boarding in Seattle. We were there an hour or two earlier than the time I selected, and we had to wait.